In the midst of the NFL offseason, while teams prepare for the free agency period and the draft, the value of a young player can often be lost.
While the Washington Redskins made four moves on Friday that cleared upwards of $15 million in salary-cap space, it’s important to note one of the core reasons they were able to do so. It starts with their success in recent drafts, and their ability to rely on young players to produce while on cheap contracts.
The Redskins released WR Paul Richardson Jr. on Friday, making it so they don’t have to pay him approximately $6 million in 2020. When comparing the price they would have to pay for the discouraging and rather inconsistent play they would have gotten from Richardson in 2020, consider this — Washington is set to pay roughly the same amount to arguably their top five offensive players next year.
If you were to couple together the 2020 contracts for QB Dwayne Haskins, RB Derrius Guice, and WRs Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon, and Steven Sims Jr., you get a cap hit of approximately $6.5 million. If you were to add Bryce Love’s $773,583 cap hit, plus Adrian Peterson’s $3 million hit should the Redskins pick up his team-option, you’re left with roughly 90% of your offensive production coming from about $10 million out of your salary cap.
That stat alone should allow the Redskins to hopefully compete in 2020, as they will have a great deal of money to spend on outside talent this offseason, and potentially build a real contender under the new coaching staff.
When you look at teams who have had recent success in the NFL, most of them did so while leaning on cheap talent who produced above their price tag. The Kansas City Chiefs were able to win the Super Bowl this season because QB Patrick Mahomes acted as a $4 million cap hit when he was performing like a $40 million quarterback. If Haskins is able to make a leap and play well above his contract value, and the rest of the young core is able to continue their progression, the Redskins will be in a position to succeed in the coming years, and a couple of playoff runs aren’t out of the question.
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